Alan Brownstein writes:
So - suppose someone drafted a statement disclaiming scientific
overreaching as in
1. "In the absence of some external force which is not bound by the
laws of science, the evidence that we CAN test tells us that evolution
is what happened. If there was a supernatural actor in the process,
however, then all bets are off because science cannot test the
supernatural."
And then added to it a statement building on Mark's comment - that
2. In its current form, or state of development, ID does not
provide a framework for identifying testable hypothesis - and as such
can not be recognized as science.
Is that a statement list members think school boards can
constitutionally, and should, as a matter of policy, endorse?
I do think that it might be salutary and just plain correct
to append to all science classes (and for that matter social science
classes that proceed from a presumption of methodological naturalism)
the sort of disclaimer I suggested earlier. But I worry that
attaching such a disclaimer specifically to the teaching of evolution
improperly privileges one particular religious point of view over others.
The trick is to attend to the legitimate concern that
science education would inadvertently promote an ideology of
scientism, while also avoiding the official promotion of religion.
Perry
*******************************************************
Perry Dane
Professor of Law
Rutgers University
School of Law -- Camden
217 North Fifth Street
Camden, NJ 08102
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.camlaw.rutgers.edu/bio/925/
Work: (856) 225-6004
Fax: (856) 969-7924
Home: (610) 896-5702
*******************************************************
_______________________________________________
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw
Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the
messages to others.
